Kimkim Trip Reviews for Peru

My husband and I used Peruvian Soul through KimKim.com for our two-week Peru honeymoon, which included Lima, Sacred Valley, Cusco, and Tambopata in the Amazon.

My overall takeaway: TAKE THIS TRIP. Here’s why:

Peru has so much to offer. We had a new adventure every day. The people, culture, history, food, drinks, architecture, animals, views etc. are so fun to experience. We never felt unsafe, lost, or unprepared. The travel agency prepares you before the trip and we tried to be smart travelers anyway.

Peruvian Soul, booked through kimkim.com, will make your trip so EASY and SPECIAL. The itinerary made for us by Anne based on what we wanted was perfect and we were given freedom to make changes as needed. The inter-country travel is all taken care of by the agency which is a huge help; i.e. you don’t have to buy separate tickets from Lima to Cusco to the Amazon – just your flight to Peru and back. We had private vans for transportation provided and private tour guides. We could have, but ended up not needing one taxi. All of the tour guides, especially Julio, are professional, extremely knowledgeable (trust me – we asked a lot of questions), and passionate. They knew all of the best photo-ops, every available bathroom, times in between bathrooms, and had good tips along the way like when we needed COVID masks, bug spray, extra water etc.

Kimkim.com made it easy to communicate with Peruvian Soul, our travel agency. It’s easy to make payments on the site. The itinerary is easy to look through, and our travel agent was always quick to respond if we had questions. The itinerary is great to print out before your trip so you can be organized as well.

COVID in Peru: up until we finally took our flight to Peru we were monitoring the COVID situation to make sure we were safe/eligible to travel. As of Sept 2021, the Peru govt. had a mask mandate in all public places including outdoors. All markets, restaurants, tourist stops were required to take visitor temperatures and give hand sanitizer out. These requirements really didn’t end up being big deal, and it was really nice having the peace of mind that we were being safe, and Peruvians were being safe. Peruvian Soul also coordinated an antigen test for us our last day in Peru so we could return to the U.S., which was also a huge help since we speak limited Spanish.

All in all, you will not regret this trip and fall in love with Peru just like we did.

Incredible trip, amazing country. Kristy was great with helping promptly for various hiccups etc on the way. José was an absolutely phenomenal guide in the Cusco area, teaching us so much about the Incas and the local culture and customs. His English was fluent so conversations were had easily. The ecolodge in the rainforest was all-inclusive and pampered us, as well as took us on many tours and etc that were great, although our particular guide (Hugo) didn't speak English super well and was also kind of uh... boring, so I felt there could have been some improvement there.

This was an absolute once-in-a-lifetime experience! Everything that Aspiring Adventures did for us was fantastic - all of our needs were either anticipated (in style!) or someone bent over backwards to meet them at the drop of the hat. I don't think we could have possibly been in better hands.

Our guide for the main part of the trip, Orlando, is one of my new favorite people. He was super knowledgeable about everything on the trip from astronomy to archaeology to Andean spiritual beliefs to geology and everything in between.

If you want a challenging (and we aren't a group that shies from a physically demanding hike in Colorado) and rewarding trek, the one we did is a tall (but awesome) order.

If you're wondering if you should book a trip with Aspiring Adventures, I say you should for sure. They only thing at all (and I really mean the only thing) I would have changed about the trip was our little jaunt at the end to fly over the Nazca lines - it ended up being a ton of driving for not a ton of Nazca line time. This was more of a function of COVID-19 than Aspiring Adventures though since the Ica airport was closed. Our guide for this portion out of Lima, Arturo, was great and did his best to make it fun even though some of us mostly just slept in his car.

Aspiring Adventures did an awesome job on our recent trek in the Andean high country. Over 8 days we did 23,000' of vertical ascent (and matching descent) including one ascent to 14,000' elevation and another to 15,000' elevation and covered about 63 miles. Our guide, Orlando Ugarte was phenomenal -- he made sure that we had a great experience on this very challenging trek. Our trek took us off of the beaten path; for the last few days, we experienced the power of this special land in complete solitude. The chef, Johan, provided the most delicious meals imaginable and introduced us to a lot of the high country cuisine. Late in the trek, he even purchased a chicken from a local farmer and butchered it so we would have fresh meat in the soup! We were so grateful for the early morning wakeup calls accompanied with piping hot tea. On a trek like this, there are a lot of variables that can make the difference between a great treak and a disaster -- Aspiring Adventures did not miss a beat!

We had an amazing time exploring Cusco, and our 10-day trek from Capiluyoc to Cochiquirao to Huancacalle before traveling to Machu Picchu was an adventure worth remembering. Our guide was absolutely wonderful and our camp chef, crew, and horsemen worked so hard and made our trek amazing. We were so grateful for all of the hard work that went into such an unforgettable experience. Aspiring Adventures is definitely the way to go for any South American adventure!

This trip by far exceeded all our expectations. We spent 16 amazing days in Peru with our 3 boys, great guides and meticulously prepared itinerary which opened our eyes and minds. Perhaps this may be a little bit overboard review but the details matter. For those who have a little bit of extra time, please read feel free to read further, otherwise five amazing stars to This trip review***** and my admiration to Katy and her team for making such a unique experience possible.

Starting with our guide Freddie in the Amazon we had special daily walks in the jungle, learned from him how to be respectful in the jungle to the animals and plants, thanks to his senses saw many animals, (capibaras, monkeys, rodents, butterflies, tarantula) ,had morning sunrise boat rides up to the River to see hundreds of parrots including Macau’s. Freddie took us to see Cayman at night, fish and later eat piranhas, showed us many different species of plants, fruits and local veggies. He told our children many amazing stories from his life in the jungle. A highlight was kayaking on the Amazon, swimming in the river and for kids mud sliding at the banks of the River. Daily support of a boat driver and a cook, as well as the comfy eco-like lodge added to the amazing experience.
Afterwards, moving to highlands of the Andes made another eye-opening experience. After adjusting to the high altitude in the town of Pisac, we spent a day of climbing the old Inca town at 3500 m, learned about Its history from our guide Natty, indulged into spectacular views and locals playing Andes flute. Later in the day we were invited to a local family living at 3800 m at the village of Amaru. We experienced a day in their life. We learned about their customs, shared the meals, went planting potatoes, watched cloth making, using plants for coloring, tea and food. Our kids played with their kids games, and soccer. Bonfire, singing just started the starry night experience and night under 4 heavy Alpaca blankets.
o Morning started with a scenic car ride to have already prepared kayaks and wet suits to float over an amazing high-altitude lake with ducks and flamingos. Sun and blue sky with high Andes in the background made it amazing. Going for a quick swim in the wet suits awakened us for another adventure. After lunch cooked for us by local chef, the van with 5 bikes awaited. Drive through scenic highlands to a unique Mountain embedded with Inca salt mines, and then Moray, a visit of another Inca site ended with About 15 km bike ride with breath taking views ending by a winding road leading to the sacred valley and then a quick transport to amazing old Inca town of Ollantaytambo. Our high altitude Adjustment allowed us to start the amazing three day two night trek - Tres Lares. With our guide Natty, five horses and two horsemen we ascended to 4300 m through amazing valleys filled with local huts, lamas, alpacas and soul filling views. Lunch already prepared by a chef and his support was an aspiring adventure’s team surprise. With the help of our guide, we reached the summit of 4500m tranquil and really breath taking high altitude experience. An evening descent to a high-altitude village of locals was amazing. The team of horsemen and chefs with assistants awaited with delicious meal and prepared tents. Morning breakfast and a several hour descents to hot springs was a relief. Another night of camping. Breakfast, good byes with the trek team followed by transport back to Ollantaytambo. Afternoon visit of another mountain embedded Inca town helped us start to understand of this amazing old culture. Subsequent scenic ride through sacred valley to the town of Macchu Picchu was the additional highlight of the day. Nice hotel, walk through the town with Natty and then a tranquil deep sleep. Morning blue sky was the special early touch to the visit of Macchu Pichu. Thanks to Natty, we understood many to us unknown details of this very spiritual and Soul opening place. Thanks to the Covid pandemic, the masses of tourists were missing and the experience was so much more special. We finally understood the Inca connection to the sun and Patcha mamma / the powerful spiritual connection to mother Earth. Descent, lunch and transfer to the old Inca capital of Cusco. Tasteful hotel in old town, dinner with Natty, more stories for kids and another cozy hotel night. Next morning, we climbed on top of the town’s Inca ruins, stroll through the town, learning of Its amazing history, some local market shopping and another nice dinner. Following day started with the car ride from the highlands to lake Titicaca. Amazing scenery followed by another home stay of a raqchi Family. Learning About clay pottery making, dinner followed by spiritual wish making to the spirit of mountains and the Patcha mamma. Dancing with locals to their favorite songs and another night under heavy alpaca blankets. Morning breakfast and High-altitude road at 4300 m pass with another soul touching views followed by a visit of two amazing churches and the town of Lampa. The visit of an second Church in Lampa was impressive. The original 400 plus year old paintings , sculptures and skull and bone filled chapel was fascinating. Its history was provided to us by the local guide who already awaited our arrival. Evening trip through unimpressive Júliaca to the final destination of rather awe aspiring Lake Titicaca. Morning ride to visit of floating villages of Urus followed by 2-hour boat ride to mind blowing local Titicaca islands. Blue sky, clear waters of 3800 m lake, and pristine nature makes Ex-au Provence, Greek or Croatian coast pale in comparison. Even with locals, dancing and walk under starry sky make you feel like it Is the most peaceful place on the planet.

Our late august trip had 16 days of sun and perfect weather. While the website and corresponding with Katy gives you a glimpse
o you might experience day to day as far as the adventures and cultural immersion, with perfect coordination of events, activities, seamless transits, meals and hotel stays make you feel that aspiring adventure matches Its name to the dot. For us it was a life altering experience our children and we will cherish it all for a long time. We have traveled to many countries in the World but this trip I think was the best As far As depth of the immersion to the history, nature and the beauty of the Peruvian culture and nature. While this trip was more expensive it was well worth with the money as the coordination of the many daily activities, site visits, punctual transport arrangements, meals would not be possible without such Aspiring Adventures team help.
We wish to thank Katy, Freddie, Natty, driver Paul, horsemen, chefs, local guides, hosting families and others involved to make this so special.
If i had one advice to those who are planning a trip to Peru. Don’t focus solely on Macchu Picchu. Enjoy the exploration of other sites, home stays, go trekking off beaten path if u can, bike and most of all appreciate the nature. It will open your eyes and soul to a much broader level than you could expect.
Absolutely five stars*****

Our kids top 10:
-Trekking tres Lares / camping: enjoying time with local dog who walked with them for 2 and 1/2 days
• biking down to the sacred valley
• Paddling on high elevation lake
• Visit of Macchu Picchu
• Hot springs
• Kayaking on that Amazon and mud sliding
• Amaru and raqchi Family home stays
• Lake Titicaca sunset view from top of the Island
• Lampa Church visit
• Jungle walks and piranhas fishing

Well, I am honestly speechless . This was a trip that was two years waiting and it finally happened . Anne , our coordinator through Peruvian Soul was with myself through the whole thing . She was patient with the rebooking due to Covid and so kind with everything . She knocked it out of the park as far as I am concerned , she listened to what I wanted to see and experience as well as my 14 year old twins in tow . From the moment of arrival everything was planned to drivers … food ( food to table , delicious), adventures , the scenery , the stories behind the adventures and just the memorable experiences I was getting to have with my two kids . You can’t make it up as memories I made are for a lifetime and so blessed .
Not to mention our amazing , cultured Cusco born , funny , smart and had an infectious smile Julio guide who was with us for 6 days as we ventured i to thé scared valley . He made everything better even if my kids were being «  typical teenagers »:). He is a complete asset to Peruvian Soul as well and should be acknowledged for that. He told us stories that aren’t in books , it was a beautiful history lesson of Peru , it’s people and culture . I am still chuckling over some of the stories and probably always will . He took us up to where I wanted to go so bad and that was the Andean ceremony I wanted to be apart of as well as my kids . It was life affirming and beautiful in so many ways to be able to experience what I did that day .
I could go on and on but Peruvian Soul is top notch and gets it completely ! I would fully and already have recommended the company .
Cheers,
Erin Bauer

Anne and Peruvian Soul have set a standard for travel agency service that is going to be very hard for anyone else to meet. From the very beginning Anne was there for us despite all our changes and concerns of travelling during COVID, she made sure that we were at ease and well informed every step of the way. Although I have never been to Peru we travel extensively around the world and have never had a trip go so well without one single hitch. The tours were perfect. Our tour guide, Cesar almost became like a family member, his photography skills were impeccable. I really don't know how to thank this team for the priceless memories they have given my son and I, but everyone that books a trip with them after reading this review will be adding a grain of gratitude towards them for me. Thank you so much Anne, Cesar and the team at Peruvian Soul. Well done Diego for putting such a great team together.

We usually plan and book our own travels, but Peru was new for us and we didn't have the time to do all the research. We found Kimkim and let Anne do our planning for us. She was amazing and thought of everything. From corona virus protocols to perfect hotels to having drivers ready for us. She worked within our budget and didn't seem put off at all when we requested changes. She book Julio as our tour guide in Cusco. He was extremely knowledgeable, terrific English, and very patient with my lack of adjusting to the altitude.

Not sure where to start but this trip was pre-planned way ahead of time to accommodate our vacation and kids spring break for 2020! And NOT to forget our 15th wedding anniversary.
Liz! You have just been awesome through past 5months beginning with planning in mid November from Dallas, TX till completion of our tour in March & send us off safely back home town. Thanks for that awesome resort @ Paracas & amazingly beautiful views at tiny hotel @ Ollantaytambo.
Alexandria was the best guide we had through the tour. Regardless of us having altitude sickness we made an attempt to take the tour later than the usual time in Cusco. The moment we met her she made us feel at home through the day & tour. She is just amazing, left us with beautiful memories.
Gabriel was equally good at Agus Calientes and up until Machu Picchu! He made sure kids were comfortable & answered every bit of those silly questions they had.
Gloria was too good during our stay at LIMA hotel. Took us around the city & gave us a tour around the musical water fountain. Kids had a wonderful time
And all of this wouldn't have been possible without you Liz & team kimkim amidst the virus fear. I would highly recommend and in future would travel the world with you all!!

Kimkim team has provided excellent service. All scheduled activities were in time, shared guided tours were well organized and well performed. Did not have any problems while visiting Peru. Thank you and special thanks to Liz / my coordinator, who put whole package together. She even brought me a Bday gift, which was very kind of her.

Julio was an excellent tour guide who grew up in the Cusco region and was like traveling with a family friend. He was knowledgeable about the various ruins we visited and provided great advice on dietary choices and knew when to push and when to back off on physical challenges with the high altitude. Our five days of hiking allowed for a good understanding of the region along with the natural resources, the local food and the people. This trip was customized to our desires by KimKim and I could not imagine a better experience in this region. Machu Picchu was awesome but our 15 mile hike from Chinchero to Coya was truly the highlight. Judeas, our driver, was always prompt and professional. A great vacation!

This was a 5 plus star experience and completely exceded my expectations. Steve worked with me with my times and desires. For example, I had no desire to spend time in Lima and wanted to maximize my time in the Jungle. Steve worked it out. We customized our time to spend it in the Sacred Valley, Macchu Pichu, and the have a jungle experience. We arrived and were greeted by our guide Aldo and Paul, the driver. They were awesome and were always doing all they could to make our experience great. Aldo grew up in the region and was completely an expert on the region and history. I left feeling like I have new friends too! Then to Puerto Maldonado where we met Freddy and the Junglepro team. We boarded a river boat, headed up the river to a charming jungle cottage. The boat driver was exceptional! Freddy was too as he had worked on the land the cottage was on long before. Freddy is a tracker, not just a finder and we were able to see amazing wildlife. We even were able to find a jaguar, spider monkey, and Freddy even yanked a caimen right out of the water with is bare hands! Again, we had a guide that was interested in making our experience special an I left feeling like I had another friend. Aspiring Adventures did a great job and my experience with my son was great memories made! Thanks!
Jeff

The trip to Peru was fantastic. Cesar Surco, our guide post Lima, was exceptional in every way. He was patient, kind, knowledgeable and an absolute genius with the camera. He was filled with excellent recommendations of what to do (and what not to do). We were never rushed and yet, got to see and do everything. He is a true local and took us to places we would never have seen on our own. I can't stress how great he is.
Although we spent very little time with Anne, she was amazing as a planner. She had so much patience helping me put this trip together. We changed our plans multiple times and Anne never seemed annoyed with changes.
Lastly, in the Lima portion of our trip, our guide Sheila on our day to Ica was exceptional. She was so friendly and warm and knew so much about the area. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with her.

Our trip to Peru was out of this world, beyond expectations and truly life changing. What a rich and beautiful culture, country, and people. We had everything set up perfectly through Aspiring Adventures and I would recommend them over and over again for a perfect Peru trip. From the multiple calls with Steve and communication with Katy to make sure everything was exactly what we wanted and executed perfectly, to arriving in the country and connecting with our excellent guide and driver, Aldo and Paul, everything was well beyond expectations. There are not words to describe how special this trip was for my family and friends. Aldo was beyond helpful, thoughtful and and incredibly devoted to the rich history and future of the Incan people. We were in safe hands with him and our driver Paul the whole trip. I would and will go back!

Amazing customized trip across Peru in 7 days!
We had a great time with our Kim Kim team. The trip was tailored to our needs and we saw everything we wanted to during the week of our trip. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and all the transportation/tickets/other logistics were seamless. Each event/activity was thoughtfully planned. Have already recommended this to several friends.

I want to give a lot of credit to the organizers of our trip. Everything went like clockwork. People picked us up and ferried us exactly when they said so. All our guides were so nice and very well informed about their culture and history. Magaly, Rony, Maria and Julio were all great. We loved all the hotels especially in Cusco at San Blas where they warmed our sheets with hot water bottles.
We packed a lot in in one week and everything we visited was awe inspiring. Nazca lines, Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo and other Inca sites were fascinating. We were lucky with good weather as well. Thank you for making it all a memorable experience.

We were very happy with our trip to Peru. Mily in particular was amazing. she was very responsive before the trip and made an effort to meet us in person once we got to Peru. Our activities ended up being just like on the trip description and while we did not encounter any issues, Mily made it obvious that she would be available for any issues that may have come up. We will recommend Mily to any friends or family that we have for any future Peru trips. Additionally our tour guide Cesar was incredibly knowledgeable and so friendly and you can tell he loves his job and is very proud to show the wonders of Peru to tourists like us.

My wife and I used Kimkim for our honeymoon to Peru. Their services, prices, availability of their staff and willingness to accommodate our travel arrangements were beyond wonderful. Booking our trip and mapping each stop, the length of the stay for each city, the mode of transportation through Peru, and the tickets for attractions and local flights was very easy and comprehensive. Across Peru, their team was friendly, on time, extremely knowledgeable about every site we visited and so very flexible. We loved the hotels Kimkim selected for us and were happily surprised by the meals they arranged to welcome us in Cusco and on the way to Machu Picchu. We absolutely recommend this company to anyone planning a trip abroad and will use them again in the future.

Carlos

From the first inception of the trip consulting with Anne to conversing with the great tour guides, especially Julio, the whole Peru experience was a wonderful experience for me and my family. Everything went off as planned: Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, and back to Lima. I highly recommend KimKim and Peruvian Soul if you are considering a trip for the great culinary scene in Lima or the wonder of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley.